John McCain's 106-year-old mother is a maverick in her own way

WASHINGTON — John McCain's rebellious streak didn't come out of nowhere. His mother, Roberta, had a habit of speeding behind the wheel and racking up tickets. When told during a trip to Europe that she was too old to rent a car, she went out and bought a Peugeot. Her son once answered the telephone to hear his mother say she was on a cross-country driving trip — by herself, in her 90s.

Now 106, the wife of a Navy admiral and mother of a Navy captain lived a life full of travel and adventure, punctuated by her sass and determination.

She once said her son liked to hold her up as an example of "what he hopes his lifespan will be."

But in the end, she is mourning him instead of the other way around.

Though slowed by a stroke, she is expected to attend memorial and burial services in Washington and Maryland later this week for the middle son she called "Johnny," the Vietnam prisoner of war, congressman, senator and two-time presidential candidate who died of brain cancer on Saturday at age 81.

The senator said in one of his books that "my mother was raised to be a strong, determined woman who thoroughly enjoyed life, and always tried to make the most of her opportunities. She was encouraged to accept, graciously and with good humor, the responsibilities and sacrifices her choices have required of her. I am grateful to her for the strengths she taught me by example."

McCain's father, too, had a penchant for living large, with the senator recalling that a predilection for "quick tempers, adventurous spirits, and love for the country's uniform" was encoded in his family DNA.

A native of Muskogee, Oklahoma, Roberta Wright was nearly 21 and a college student in southern California when she eloped to Tijuana, Mexico, in January 1933 with a young sailor named John S. McCain Jr. He would go on to become a Navy admiral, like the father he shared a name with, and the couple would have three children — Jean, John and Joseph — within a decade.

With her husband away on Navy business most of the time, Roberta McCain raised the kids. She didn't complain, and loved Navy life. The family lived in Hawaii, the Panama Canal Zone — where the senator was born in 1936 — Connecticut, Virginia and many points in between.

"To me, the Navy epitomizes everything that's good in America," she told C-SPAN in 2008 during the presidential contest John McCain lost to Barack Obama.

John McCain followed his father and grandfather's footsteps into the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he'll be laid to rest on Sunday. He became a fighter pilot and joined the combat action in Vietnam. He was on his 23rd bombing run over North Vietnam when he was shot out of the sky and taken prisoner in October 1967.

His parents were in London getting ready to attend a dinner at Iran's embassy when a special phone that Roberta McCain says she never touched rang while her husband was in the shower. She answered and listened as a friend told her two planes had been shot down and none of the pilots had ejected. She told her husband when he came out of the shower, and they kept to their plans.

"We went and decided we were not going to say one word at this dinner," she said in the 2008 interview.

She said that later learning her son was alive and had become a prisoner of war was "the best news I ever had in my life."

Roberta McCain missed watching her son's release from Vietnam on television in 1973. Someone telephoned and told her to watch the TV, something she said she did little of. "These people came off and the television stopped, so I turned off the television," she explained. "I didn't know that between ads he did come off ... and I missed it."

She later said she was "ashamed" of her son for the "terrible language" he used toward the Vietnamese captors who tortured him.

"I never would have believed in this world he would ever use language like that, but he did," Roberta McCain said in the interview, which was conducted at her Washington home.

Well into her 90s, she became a fixture on John McCain's 2008 campaign, connecting with audiences and displaying some of the sass and wit he appeared to have inherited from her.

John McCain wrote in his final book, published this year, that his 106-year-old mother's "vivaciousness is a force of nature" but that although a stroke has slowed her once-brisk pace and has made speaking a "chore," she still has "a spark in her, a brightness in her eyes that would light up the world if she could resume her peripatetic life."

Roberta McCain and her identical twin sister, Rowena Wright, who died in 2011, often traveled around the world together.

McCain

A Boeing C-32 military plane carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., takes off as members from the Arizona Army and Air National Guard stand on the tarmac to pay respects Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Luis Gonzalez, right, a former player for the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, wipes away a tear as he joins other honorary pallbearers watching the hearse drive away after a memorial service for the late Arizona Sen. John McCain at North Phoenix hurch Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain

Former Vice President Joe Biden, right, and his wife Jill Biden, pause with hands over their hearts as they watch a military honor guard place the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., into a hearse after a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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People line the street as the hearse carrying Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., makes it's way to a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)

APTOPIX McCain

Cindy McCain, back right, walks with her son Jack McCain, back left, as the follow the military honor guard carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., after a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain

The family of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., from left, son Doug McCain, son Jimmy McCain, daughter Meghan McCain, son Jack McCain. wife Cindy McCain, daughter Bridget McCain, daughter Sidney McCain and son Andrew McCain watch as McCain's casket is moved from the hearse before a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Ross D. Franklin

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Former Vice President Joe Biden wipes a tear away while giving a tribute during memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, gives a tribute during memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool)

Matt York

McCain

A large crowd gathers to watch the casket of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., arrive for a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain

Former Vice President Joe Biden wipes a tear while giving a tribute during memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool)

Matt York

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Children of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., from left, Jimmy, Meghan and Jack McCain pause to watch as the casket of their late father Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is moved by a military honor guard prior to a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain

Cindy McCain, right, joined by her sons Jack McCain, and Jimmy McCain, left, and daughter Meghan, second from left, watch as the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is taken from the hearse as they all arrive prior to a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain

People stand along the road and watch the motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

A military team removes the casket carrying Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., from the hearse prior to a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church as McCain's immediate family watches, right, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

McCain

Jimmy McCain, second from left, walks with Meghan McCain as Jack McCain walks with his mother, Cindy McCain, right, as they arrive for a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

People watch the motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

People watch the motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

People watch the motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

People watch the motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

A motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. travels from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

People watch a motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as it travels from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

Fireman watch a motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. as it travels from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

A motorcade carrying the the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. travels from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. leaves the Arizona Capitol with her sons Jimmy, left, and Jack for a a memorial service at the North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. leaves the Arizona Capitol with her sons Jack and Jimmy, left for a a memorial service at the North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix.

Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

McCain

The Arizona Department of Public Safety honor guard carries the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. from the Arizona Capitol to a hearse for the trip to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix.

Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

McCain

Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. leaves the Arizona Capitol with her sons Jimmy, left, and Jack for a a memorial service at the North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix.

McCain

A serviceman salutes as he pays his respects at the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. during a memorial service at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

The Arizona National Guard carries the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., into a memorial service at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix. (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool)

Rob Schumacher

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Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. arrives with her sons Jimmy, left, and Jack, during a memorial service at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Meghan McCain, daughter of, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. cries at the casket of her father during a memorial service at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool

Jae C. Hong

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Children of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., from back left Sidney McCain, Meghan McCain and her husband Ben Domenech, Bridget McCain, front center and daughter-in-law Holly McCain, follow behind the casket into the Capitol rotunda for a memorial service, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

McCain

The Arizona National Guard carries the casket into the museum rotunda during a memorial service for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool)

Jae C. Hong

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Meghan McCain, daughter of, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. cries at the casket of her father during a memorial service at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool)

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Cindy McCain arrives for a memorial service for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix, escorted by her sons Jimmy, left, and Jack. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Cindy McCain and her son, Jack McCain, follow behind military personal carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., into the Capitol rotunda for a memorial service, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

McCain

The Arizona National Guard carries the casket into the museum rotunda during a memorial service for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool)

McCain Lying In State

Workers prepare the Capitol grounds prior to the arrival of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. McCain's body lies in state Wednesday, at the Capitol in Arizona, his home state. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

McCain Lying In State

Law enforcement and military personal rehearse their formation outside the Capitol grounds prior to the arrival of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. McCain's body lies in state Wednesday, at the Capitol in Arizona, his home state. (AP Photo/Matt York)

McCain

Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. stands with her sons Jack and Jimmy, right, during a memorial service at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool)

Jae C. Hong

McCain

Meghan McCain cries as she and her husband Ben Domenech follow behind the casket carrying her father Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as they arrive for a memorial service, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. . (AP Photo/Matt York)

McCain

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and his wife Angela Ducey, follow the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., into a memorial service, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Matt York

Sen. John McCain leaves Arizona for the last time

PHOENIX — A memorial service is being held at North Phoenix Baptist Church Thursday morning in honor of the late Sen. John McCain, who died on Saturday after battling brain cancer.

When the ceremony comes to a close, the motorcade will leave the church and head to Sky Harbor airport, where McCain will leave Arizona for the last time.

Find the latest updates below:

12:50 p.m.

Sen. John McCain has left Arizona for the last time as he makes his final flight to Washington, D.C.

An Air Force passenger plane carrying the casket of the six-term senator and two-time presidential candidate departed Thursday.

Hundreds of military service members stood in formation on the tarmac as McCain and his family left the Arizona Air National Guard base at the Phoenix airport.

McCain made the flight from Phoenix to Washington many times after first being elected to the U.S. House in 1982 and then to the U.S. Senate in 1986.

There will be a public viewing Friday at the U.S. Capitol and a service Saturday at Washington National Cathedral. He will be buried Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

He died Saturday of brain cancer at age 81.

12:10 p.m.

Sen. John McCain's family has gathered on a tarmac as military members took his flag-draped casket from a hearse to a plane that will take him from Arizona to Washington, D.C.

An Air Force plane that says "United States of America" will carry McCain and his family to the nation's capital Thursday.

It follows a memorial service in Phoenix attended by 3,500 people where former Vice President Joe Biden spoke.

There will be a public viewing Friday at the U.S. Capitol and a service Saturday at Washington National Cathedral. He will be buried Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

McCain died Saturday of brain cancer.

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12:05 p.m.

The motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain has arrived at the Phoenix airport for his final flight from Arizona to Washington, D.C.

An Air Force plane will carry McCain and his family to the nation's capital Thursday following a memorial service in Phoenix attended by 3,500 people where former Vice President Joe Biden spoke.

There will be a public viewing Friday at the U.S. Capitol and a service Saturday at Washington National Cathedral. He will be buried Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

McCain died Saturday of brain cancer.

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11:40 a.m.

The hearse carrying Sen. John McCain's casket has left a Phoenix church where thousands paid tribute to the longtime Arizona senator at his first memorial service.

The motorcade is now headed to the Phoenix airport for his final flight from Arizona to Washington, D.C. It follows a memorial service Thursday attended by about 3,500 people at North Phoenix Baptist Church.

An Air Force C-32 transport will carry McCain and his family to Joint Base Andrews for a public viewing Friday at the U.S. Capitol, a service Saturday at Washington National Cathedral and burial Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

McCain died Saturday from brain cancer at age 81.

11:35 a.m.

Military members have carried the flag-draped casket of Sen. John McCain out of a Phoenix church to the tune of Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

The longtime Arizona senator's wife and children followed out the casket following a memorial service Thursday where former Vice President Joe Biden, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and others told personal stories.

The casket has been loaded into a hearse in a motorcade that will head to the Phoenix airport for his final flight from Arizona to Washington, D.C., for several events.

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11:30 a.m.

Vice President Mike Pence has paid tribute to the late Sen. John McCain, saying America will always remember his lifetime of service to the United States.

Speaking in Minneapolis at the American Legion's 100th annual convention Thursday, Pence said McCain served 5½ years as a prison of war in Vietnam and "did not yield."

Pence says the Arizona Republican later became "one of the most unwavering advocates" of the American military ever to serve in Congress.

McCain died of cancer Saturday. American Legion leaders took Trump to task on Monday after flags at the White House, which flew at half staff through the weekend, were raised to full height on Monday.

Trump later relented amid criticism and ordered them lowered again at all federal installations through McCain's interment this Sunday.

11:15 a.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden says he believes that Sen. John McCain's death has hit people so hard because they knew he believed so deeply and so forcefully in the soul of America.

Biden said Thursday at the memorial service for the longtime Arizona senator that he believed McCain gave Americans something to be proud of.

Biden says McCain's optimism is what made him special and a giant among others. He believes McCain's legacy will continue to inspire and challenge people in the future.

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11:10 a.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke forcefully as he said politics wasn't what was most important to Sen. John McCain, it was the underlying values that mattered.

Biden said Thursday at the memorial service for the longtime Arizona senator that McCain "could not stand the abuse of power wherever he saw it, in whatever form, in whatever country."

Biden referenced how McCain fought for civility between politicians even if they disagree.

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11:05 a.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden says both he and Sen. John McCain knew how painful life could be.

Biden said Thursday at the memorial service for the longtime Arizona senator that the same aggressive brain cancer that claimed McCain also claimed their friend Ted Kennedy and Biden's son Beau.

Biden told McCain's family he understood that there was nothing anyone could do to ease their pain.

He said, "I pray you take some comfort knowing that because you shared John with all of us your whole life, the world now shares with you the ache of John's death."

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10:55 a.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden says he thought of Sen. John McCain as a brother, with 'a lot of family fights.'

The Democrat dabbed his eyes early in his speech Thursday at the Phoenix memorial service for the longtime Republican senator.

Biden says the two men got to know each other while making overseas trips together. They'd talk about family, politics and international relations. Biden says they were both "cock-eyed optimists."

Biden says that they understood it's all about trust and that he would trust John with his life.

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10:45 a.m.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald says he felt the need to visit Vietnam to see what his friend, Sen. John McCain endured.

Fitzgerald also talked at McCain's funeral Thursday about how on the surface they could not have been more different: "He ran for president. I ran out of bounds." The NFL star says McCain was the epitome of toughness and he does everything I could to avoid contact.

But he says that while from very different worlds, they developed a meaningful friendship. He says it was the perfect example of what made him an iconic figure of politics and to the fellow man.

Fitzgerald says McCain celebrated differences and championed humanity. He says McCain didn't judge individuals on color of skin, gender or their bank accounts but the merit of their character and content of their hearts.

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10:35 a.m.

A friend of Sen. John McCain's says the longtime Arizona senator works across the aisle.

Tommy Espinoza, president and CEO of the Raza Development Fund, said at McCain's memorial service in Phoenix on Thursday that he was a maverick.

He says during McCain's first race for Senate, McCain called him to ask if he would co-chair his campaign. Espinoza said he responded, "You know I'm a Democrat," drawing laughs.

Espinoza, then head of Chicanos Por La Causa, says McCain told him they were friends and he wanted his help.

He mentioned McCain's work for comprehensive immigration reform and says he believed it cost him a presidential campaign.

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10:25 a.m.

Sen. John McCain's longtime chief of staff says the Arizona senator believed that "this Republican-Democrat thing is not that important."

Grant Woods said Thursday at McCain's memorial service in Phoenix that the senator believed that in the end, we're all Americans.

He drew laughs with stories about McCain, including a time he got in hot water for calling retirement communities that he needed to woo when he first ran for office "seizure world."

Woods said everyone would miss McCain's humor. He called McCain "America's hero" and said the senator believed in the Constitution and worked to defend it.

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10:15 a.m.

Sen. John McCain's daughter Bridget read a bible verse at her father's memorial service in Phoenix before the longtime Arizona senator's chief of staff started the speeches.

Grant Woods drew laughs Thursday as he said McCain was a bad driver and would introduce Woods to new staff members by saying, 'You'll have to fire half of them.'

He said the 35 years he spent with McCain were a little harrowing, a little wild, a little crazy, but a lot of fun.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are among other speakers at the church service.

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10:05 a.m.

People who packed a Phoenix church for Sen. John McCain's memorial service have stood as his flag-draped casket was carried inside.

The crowd of 3,500 inside stood silently as the casket was placed before a set of floral arrangements Thursday and McCain's family entered behind it.

A pastor opened the service with a prayer and the Brophy Student Ensemble sang "Amazing Grace."

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10 a.m.

Military members have removed Sen. John McCain's casket from a hearse and carried it into a Phoenix church for his memorial service as the wife and children of the longtime Arizona senator watched.

Two of McCain's sons are in military uniform and daughter Meghan was crying Thursday.

Honorary pallbearers stood with the family Thursday and include the first Native American woman to serve on the federal bench and two popular Arizona athletes.

U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa, who is Hopi, retired Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzales and former Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan are among 14 friends acting as pallbearers.

McCain was an avid sports fan and supporter of Arizona's teams. He became friends with many of the athletes in the area.

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9:50 a.m.

The hearse carrying Sen. John McCain's casket has arrived at a Phoenix church for a memorial service.

The motorcade came Thursday from the Arizona Capitol where he laid in state. It passed saluting firefighters and dozens of well-wishers waving campaign-style McCain signs and American flags.

It passed a school where kids peered through the fence to catch a glimpse.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is among speakers at the church service, which will be attended by dozens of senators, other politicians and some professional athletes.

After it ends, McCain's body will be taken to the airport and flown to Washington, D.C. There will be a viewing at the U.S. Capitol before a memorial service featuring former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and burial at the U.S. Naval Academy.

9:30 a.m.

Several firefighters are standing on top of a firetruck on an overpass above a Phoenix freeway saluting a motorcade with a hearse carrying Sen. John McCain's casket.

Dozens of people, including schoolchildren of all ages, are holding McCain signs and American flags as they waited for the motorcade to arrive Thursday at a church for the longtime senator's memorial service.

McCain's staff says the campaign-style signs are replicas of his 2008 presidential campaign.

Raymond Celaya of Phoenix and others around him held the signs as they waited along a roadside. Celaya said he was most impressed with McCain's willingness to fight for his beliefs.

He says McCain "represented all of Arizona, not just Latinos like me."

People watch a motorcade carrying the casket of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as it travels from the Arizona Capitol to the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Jae C. Hong

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9:20 a.m.

A hearse carrying Sen. John McCain's casket is driving in a motorcade along a Phoenix highway on its way to the memorial service for the longtime Republican senator and two-time presidential candidate.

Michael Fellars stood on a roadway outside of North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday waiting to see the funeral procession. Firetrucks were positioned along the route.

Fellars was the fourth person in line Wednesday to attend the public viewing honoring McCain at the Arizona Capitol.

As a veteran of the Marine Corps, Fellars said he was most impressed with McCain's advocacy on behalf of people who serve in the military.

He says McCain "was about the only politician that I have ever known who cared for the people in his country, and he tried his level best to make it a better place in which to live."

Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. leaves the Arizona Capitol with her sons Jimmy, left, and Jack for a a memorial service at the North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Phoenix.

Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

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9:10 a.m.

A hearse carrying Sen. John McCain's casket has left the Arizona State Capitol and is taking the body of the longtime lawmaker, two-time presidential candidate and former POW to a Phoenix church for a public memorial service.

People carrying campaign style placards with the word "McCain" and holding U.S. flags lined part of the part of the 8-mile (13-kilometer) route the motorcade was taking Thursday to the North Phoenix Baptist Church.

The hearse is accompanied by Arizona Highway Patrol motorcycle troopers and vehicles with family members.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is among speakers for the church service.

After it ends, McCain's body will be taken to Sky Harbor International Airport and flown to Washington D.C., where it will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol building before a funeral service featuring former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

McCain died Saturday of brain cancer at age 81.

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9:00 a.m.

Mourners have entered the North Phoenix Baptist church ahead of the arrival of Sen. John McCain's casket for a memorial service.

The church has is a spacious, half-circle indoor amphitheater with purple fabric seats and benches that holds 3,500. Red and blue lights illuminated two rows of chairs on the stage, which was lined by lilies and adorned with greenery and white rose floral displays.

Mourners were given programs with an image of a sunset.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will speak at the service, expected to be attended by 24 current U.S. Senators and four former senators and many Arizona politicians.

People holding U.S. flags and campaign style placards with the word "McCain" lined part of the 8-mile (13-kilometer) route that the motorcade with McCain's casket will take from the Arizona State Capitol to the church.

People are starting to line the route that a motorcade will take to bring John McCain's coffin from the Arizona State Capitol to a church for his memorial service.

Part of the 8-mile (13-kilometer) route was lined with U.S. flags and campaign-style placards that simply read "McCain."

A man with a white beard stood on one corner holding a sign saying "Senator John McCain: Because character counts."

Someone left a stuffed animal clinging to a nearby lamppost holding a sign reading "we will miss you."

McCain will be commemorated at Thursday at North Phoenix Baptist Church by former Vice President Joe Biden and other speakers. He died last Saturday of brain cancer at age 81.

His coffin will then depart for the airport and be flown to Washington, DC, where it will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol building before a funeral service featuring former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

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7:30 a.m.

Several of Sen. John McCain's adult children thanked people who visited the Arizona State Capitol to pay respects to their father.

Sons Doug, Jack and Jimmy, daughter Sidney and daughter-in-law Renee shook hands Wednesday with some of the thousands of people who viewed McCain's flag-draped casket in the Capitol's rotunda

The afternoon and evening casket viewing followed a private service Wednesday morning.

A public memorial service will be held Thursday at North Phoenix Baptist Church before McCain's body is taken by motorcade to an Arizona Air National Guard base at Sky Harbor International Airport to be flown to Washington.

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12 a.m.

The celebration of Sen. John McCain as a former prisoner of war and maverick politician enters a second day with a church service and a military salute before his casket departs his adopted state of Arizona for Washington.

A motorcade with McCain's casket leaves Thursday morning from the Arizona Capitol, where McCain has been lying in state so thousands of people could say goodbye.

Family and friends gathered there Wednesday for a private service, where Cindy McCain pressed her face against her husband's coffin.

Following a service at North Phoenix Baptist Church, McCain's casket will go to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for a salute from the Arizona Air and Army National Guard.

Friday's visitation at the U.S. Capitol will be followed by a service Saturday at Washington National Cathedral.